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A Radical New Look for Audi?

2013 Audi S4

Audi could arguably be the most distinguishable car brand on the road today. Between the four joined circles on its gaping grilles and the imposing LED running lights, there’s just nothing else that looks like an Audi. Other companies have tried to emulate its looks, and most now offer some kind of LED running-light option.

Maybe Audi feels like the competition is catching up, or maybe it just feels as though it’s time for a change. Regardless, evidence is appearing that Audi isn’t satisfied with its current design and is working on an overhaul to its already iconic looks.

Car and Driver has an update on some significant design changes happening to the cars from Ingolstadt. Ultimately, it seems the goal is more product differentiation between Audi models, meaning the Q5 and A4 wouldn’t share quite so much in the looks department. Last Fall, Audi design chief Wolfgang Egger mentioned that he wanted some new design but thought it was important to still keep with tradition. That’s about the time the Crosslane Coupe Concept was making the rounds, which was thought to influence the new looks of the Q-series vehicles. The most recent news seems to focus on passenger cars, with designers from Bentley, Seat and Alfa Romeo hired to put an end to Audi’s problem of “scalable design.”

Audi Crosslane Coupe Concept

I actually rather like the consistency in Audi’s looks and think the design translates really well between crossovers, sedans, coupes and hatchbacks. The design is timeless and strong. In my humble opinion, why work so hard to make a drastic change simply for the sake of change? I’d like to see Audi continue on its current design path and make evolutionary changes as the model years progress. That strategy has worked for the Porsche 911 for decades, and it could work for Audi, too.

Audi has one of the most distinctive looks on the road. Should its design be changed?